How did the first day go?
I was going to suggest a pair of gloves, a bottle of Gatorade and a hardhat. Keep the hardhat in your car. Some job sites won't let you on board without a hard hat. Employers are required to furnish necessary safety equipment but won't always be able to afford it [they say]. So if you need one and they won't give you one, then walk to your car and get it. But if they see you already have one, they won't give you a free one.
As for the tools, it is best to find out what exactly you will be doing before investing in expensive tools you won't likely use or need. I still have a $60 Wiggy I bought when I started and I haven't used it once. Most likely you will be on new construction so there's no live wires involved anyway. But Harbor Freight sells meters for about $10 which will tell you volts, ohms and continuity. The motto of Fluke is: "If it works, it must be a fluke."
A cordless drill in an absolute necessity. You will not need drill bits.
Vices are illegal at construction sites.
The only three quality tools you will need are Klein Linemans Pliers, a Klein 600 screwdriver [square shank], and a good pair of wire stripers. The comination cheap ones don't strip wire well.
For the ChannelLocks, get the GripLock type. [GL 6, 10 or 12] These have V shaped jaws and grip really swell. Bit only one pair. Instead of the other, get a big pair of ViseGrips. I like the LC12 but 10WR will do. This way you only have to concentrate on operating one pair of pliers on your fittings.
As for hacksaws, the Chinese kind will last for one day but that is enough to pay for a genuine Lennox. Use 32 tooth blades.
Hammers--Any but no waffle head. Straight claw is slightly better than curved since you can use it as a pick.
Oh, and some toilet paper.
~Peter
